Some Facebook pages are live streaming content from celebrities and impersonating them through fake accounts. These live videos are a scam designed to get users to share personal or bank information.
Archived examples can be seen archived here archive.vn/2PABi , archive.vn/VcsYZ and archive.vn/bS295 .
One live video impersonating singer Jennifer Lopez (archived here: archive.vn/RDg4V ) has the description: “I will give $ 5,000 cash for the first 900 people who correctly guess the number in the picture”
This live video was posted by a page called “jeniffer lopez” (archived here: archive.vn/RDg4V ). It was created on Dec. 14, 2020 and had 1 follower at the time of publishing.
The page that posted the video also commented multiple times, asking users to share the video. One comment from the page reads: “Please Share This Live Streaming to your 10 groups the more you share to the group the greater the chance to win. AND CHECK YOUR INBOX”
The official Facebook page for Lopez can be seen www.facebook.com/jenniferlopez . A part of the official live video Lopez did can be seen on Instagram here .
In the claims, the video itself does not mention any type of actual giveaway. The description of the video urges users to make a comment that is specific, such as a number hidden inside an optical illusion next to the video. An example of this can be seen archived here: archive.vn/VcsYZ .
When the Reuters team tried commenting, the page sent a direct message and asked us to complete an action such as sharing the video and registering with personal information on a website off Facebook.
Other celebrities whose videos have been used by impersonator pages include Snoop Dogg, Ice Cube, LeBron James and Ellen DeGeneres (archived here: archive.vn/f3HcR , archive.vn/VcsYZ , archive.vn/1TDU8 , and archive.vn/bS295 )
The lack of a verified blue tick on the accounts streaming the videos is a useful indicator for users to steer clear of them though the videos include comments by users who appear to be falling for the scams.
Resource One Credit Union has an article on its website about this scam here . The article explains two tactics the scammers use: asking for bank account information or asking for cash payment application information such as Venmo, PayPal, Cash App or Zelle. Either way, the scammers would gain access to personal information.
Business Insider reported on a similar scam with users impersonating celebrities giving away money on Cash App (here). While some celebrities offer real cash giveaways, an article by Vice here explains how this might be setting users up to be scammed by impersonators online.
Facebook advises users to watch out for unfamiliar people requesting money, asking for advance fees to receive a prize, asking to take the conversation off Facebook, people claiming to be someone you know in an emergency, and poor spelling and grammar mistakes (here).
VERDICT
False. Facebook live videos from accounts impersonating celebrities online are a scam.
This article was produced by the Reuters Fact Check team. Read more about our fact-checking work here .
Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.